Hit up Diamond Market Bar & Grill w/ some fellow LGPers. Drank a ton of Hoegaarden and had a BBQ burger. Was a burger w/ pulled pork, bbq sauce and cheddar. Pretty good, but not in the league of the Garbage Burger @ Hot Rods. That is similar, but the pork is better and it also has fried onion and jalapeño straws.

Ben Klingston wrote:Ok, residents and former residents of the South Hills - what's the best local/mom&pop pizza place around? I'm in Bethel Park, on the Bethel Church/Rt 88 intersection area. Tried Binali/Vicenza's just down 88, and it has been a bit bland.

Coming from my old digs, I was a Mama Pepino's guy... I like traditional, but also like a good white /spinach pizza also.

Recommendations?

Also looking for a good neighborhood bar/tavern...

See... i grew up in Bethel Park and i can tell you, there isn't one good Bar or dive that really has a good atmosphere or good food. Hell, i don't even think there are any bars to speak of outside the Trolley Stop Inn.

If you want a good place to drink or eat, you will need to go into Mt. Lebanon or Dormont at the very least. Bado's, Mineo's, The Saloon, Kain's and the Walnut Grill are the places that come to mind.

NOLA brunch. top 3 brunch experiences in the burgh. the beignets were respectable with a coffee dipping sauce. the biscuits and gravy were the best i have ever had. chicken and waffles were the best i have had in the city. union pig and chicken's would be better but their waffle is so boring. NOLA waffle was bacon brown sugar butter coated and extra crispy. incredible. also had NOLA flat bread which was bacon, BBQ pulled pork, cheese, jalapenos and topped with fried egg.

The first time I went to San Francisco was during the 94 World Cup. While we were in Chinatown there were all these quasi authentic Chinese restaurants, and all my sister and I wanted to do was go to the McDonalds with a Chinese menu.

Haha. I can't even remember what I ate when I was in San Fran. It was nothing special though. Only places that stand out to me from my trips out to california are in and out and then this place near newport beach that we stopped at that was just off the 405 exit and overlooked the ocean. They had a good fish sandwich.

A little late on the South Hills food discussion, but here you go (Disclaimer: I just moved to Bethel Park a few weeks ago, was in South Park for over 5 years)...

YaYa's Pizza on 88 near Library Firehall has the best pizza out that way, IMO. It's take out / delivery only, but they are pretty efficient and always busy.

Hot Box Pizza and Wings is decent, though I like their wings better than their pizza.

Always thought Danny's was overrated. Their Italian hoagie is pretty good though.

Had Red Onion last week for the first time (Italian hoagie and a gyro), and they were both really good. Thought the gyro was fantastic for coming from a pizza shop.

I wasn't a big fan of the Rice Inn. I got pad thai, and it was very dry / bland. I'll have to check it out again.

Honeymoon on 88 near Clifton is my spot for quick Chinese. It's your typical hole in the wall chinese joint, but their general tso's is terrific.

I am looking for a good bar to drink at as well. 2 of my friends are moving right near me in the next few months, so we need a good watering hole. Always wanted to try Hot Shots on Brownsville, as that looked like a decent dive bar. My Place Bar and Grill (next to Hot Shots) seems a little shady. I live right near Al's Cafe now, but I never thought of it as a place to go have 1, 2, or 10 drinks.

If you haven't tried BnD'z Burgerz and Dogz yet, you are missing out. They use the same butcher as burgatory for their burgers, and have their hot dogs shipped in from Chicago.

cheesesteakwithegg wrote:If you haven't tried BnD'z Burgerz and Dogz yet, you are missing out. They use the same butcher as burgatory for their burgers, and have their hot dogs shipped in from Chicago.

Seconded. Excellent burgers. Haven't tried the dogs yet because the burgers are so good.

I can't believe I totally forgot about the other dive bar in Bethel, it's in the strip mall behind Brusters on 88. Called Helmet Heads. Again, haven't been there in a while but when I was going on a quasi-regular basis, it was solid. Cheap beers, nothing special, decent bar food. Best dive bar in Bethel.

Also, check out Gil's in South Park. They have a pretty solid menu and the prices are reasonable. They always have good specials and I remember really liking their crab cake sammy. It's a small place but the service has always been good, and it's not loud and "chain-y". http://www.gilscafe.com/

And I guess I'll share a little gem for those that don't already know it. It's not technically in Bethel, but in South Park, but it's so stinking close that it still fits for this discussion... Doridos. If you haven't been there, do yourself a favor. Nice selection of local beers, daily specials made in house, and good food for a ridiculously reasonable price. It was our Lenten Friday spot for years. The large fish sandwich is easily enough for 2 and i think you can still get a 1/2 lb. burger there for about 4 bucks. Service isn't overly friendly, you won't be chatting up your waiter for 10 minutes, but that's because the focus is on simply taking care of customers. You may have 3 or 4 different servers through your meal but you also won't wait for a drink refill or the check. http://www.doridos.net/

Right down the road from there is the South Park Clubhouse. Food is decent, but it is really reasonably priced. And if you are in the mood for a Doridos fish sandwich and cant get in because its too busy, go to the South Park Clubhouse, because it's the same owner.

BadHands71 wrote:I can't believe I totally forgot about the other dive bar in Bethel, it's in the strip mall behind Brusters on 88. Called Helmet Heads. Again, haven't been there in a while but when I was going on a quasi-regular basis, it was solid. Cheap beers, nothing special, decent bar food. Best dive bar in Bethel.

Also, check out Gil's in South Park. They have a pretty solid menu and the prices are reasonable. They always have good specials and I remember really liking their crab cake sammy. It's a small place but the service has always been good, and it's not loud and "chain-y". http://www.gilscafe.com/

And I guess I'll share a little gem for those that don't already know it. It's not technically in Bethel, but in South Park, but it's so stinking close that it still fits for this discussion... Doridos. If you haven't been there, do yourself a favor. Nice selection of local beers, daily specials made in house, and good food for a ridiculously reasonable price. It was our Lenten Friday spot for years. The large fish sandwich is easily enough for 2 and i think you can still get a 1/2 lb. burger there for about 4 bucks. Service isn't overly friendly, you won't be chatting up your waiter for 10 minutes, but that's because the focus is on simply taking care of customers. You may have 3 or 4 different servers through your meal but you also won't wait for a drink refill or the check. http://www.doridos.net/

Thanks for the additional recs, and same with cheesesteak.

My work softball league plays some games against NETL Dept of Mines down Bruceton.... we've stopped at Dorido's a few times afterwards and it was always good. But we usually do Park Valley right at the intersection of Bruceton and Brownsville. The downside is that it is a smoking bar, but the upside are the bartenders.

We used to stop out at Bruceton Station also, which I loved. Great wings and a cool little building/place. It seemed to go through aperiod of being in/out of business a few years ago, but I think it's been closed up for quite some time. Figured it had a better customer base than that, though it was never real busy, but a big big place.

Wintzell's Oyster House opened up in Pleasant Hills recently...it's in the old Hoss's/Damon's building behind the K-Mart on Bruceton. This place is a chain, but the 11 other restaurants are all in Alabama. Weird.

Anyhow, the seafood was fresh, but they threw a ton of black pepper and salt on everything which made it overbearing. Maybe it was just the meal I got (broiled seafood combo). I'm going to try another entree from there and see what happens.

Went to the B n Dz restaurant, had the Chicago Burger, which includes everything on the traditional Chicago hot dog with some variations -- pickles instead of celery, melted cheese, and no poppy seed. Was surprised that it is so far out there, basically a block from the Washington County line, but worth it since I live sort of close. Will go back. My wife ordered a veggie burger which was probably the only palatable veggie burger I've ever tasted.

I hope they get a liquor license soon or are able to become successful enough to move into a bigger space/area occupied by a former restaurant. The Damons on Rt 50 comes to mind or one of the vacant properties along 88 across from the Wal Mart by the Mitsubishi dealer.